AndroidGuys

Cricket now offering 6.5-inch Ovation

News

AndroidGuys

-

August 18, 2020

Cricket is now selling another self-branded smartphone as part of it Android roster, this time in the form of the Cricket Ovation. Priced $130, it’s a blend of mid-range hardware features that’s backed by a two-year warranty.

The Cricket Ovation runs Android 10 and offers up a generous 6.5-inch display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It’s powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. A microSD expansion card slot allows for external media and files.

Other specifications of the Cricket Ovation include triple rear cameras, dual-band Wi-Fi, fingerprint reader, a headphone jack, and a 4,000mAh battery.

Given that it’s a Cricket-branded phone it comes with a two-year “Worry Free” warranty.

ZTE to debut world’s first 5G phone with under-display camera

News

AndroidGuys

-

August 18, 2020

0

ZTE this week announced that it will soon introduce the world’s first “mass-produced” smartphone to feature an under-display selfie camera. Scheduled for September 1, the Axon 20 5G will also have support for 5G. It is in the name, after all.

We’ve seen the phone industry evolve over the last few generations, playing with different designs for front-facing cameras. What was once tucked into the top bezel has shifted to notch and cutout displays, pop-up selfies, and hole-punches. The ZTE Axon 20 5G will presumably have no obvious indication that there is a camera.

ZTE is definitely not alone in adopting this design choice, and it’s not even the first. If history is an indicator, we’ll see Chinese vendors adopt it before it makes its way to other markets.

ZTE hasn’t revealed any of the hardware features of the Axon 20 5G, but an XDA source says it should have a 6.92-inch 2460 x 1080 pixel OLED display. The front-facing camera, for its part, is rumored to be 32-megapixels.

Other specifications are alleged to include 64-megapixel and 8-megapixel rear cameras, a 2.4GHz processor with up to 12GB RAM, and a 4,120mAh battery.

All details for the ZTE Axon 20 5G and, we hope, price and availability should be clear on September 1.

Tribit FlyBuds 3 review

Accessory Reviews

John Doan

-

August 18, 2020

0

When I first learned of the Bragi Dash wireless earbuds back in 2015, I was intrigued and amazed that earbuds were finally able to “cut the cord.”

As an avid runner; I couldn’t wait to eliminate the tether wire that connected right and left earphones. While that wire was a drastic improvement over wired earbuds, it would still rub uncomfortably on my neck as I ticked off miles. Not bad if you’re running a few miles but as the miles begin to add up in marathon training, that seemingly lightweight wire starts to become sandpaper.

Fast forward five years and there is certainly no lack of options when it comes to “true” wireless earbuds across many price points.

The TriBit Flybuds 3 True Wireless Earbuds are a relatively low-priced option compared to Apple Airpods or Bose Soundsport Free.

Available on Amazon for only $39.99; I’d say that’s a pretty good deal. When starting this review, I happened to come across a Lightning Deal price of $29.99 with an extra $8 off coupon which is a fantastic deal!

Design

Like many of the other true-wireless earbuds today, the Flybuds 3 comprise of a charging case and left and right sided earbuds.

The case measures 3.40 x 2.00 x 1.20 inches and is mostly matte black plastic with a glossy black plastic strip that serves as the divider between top and bottom. Its rounded edges remind me of a bar of soap that’s given up about ½ of its useful life. Sort of pocketable if absolutely necessary but otherwise it wouldn’t be something I’d want to carry around while using the earbuds.

The front of the case features a single button and flap cover which houses a USB-type C connector and USB-type A connector. The USB-C is to charge the case and earbuds while the USB-A allows the case to be used as a portable device charger tapping into the 2600maH battery. This might be a valid reason for some to carry the case around in their pocket.

The earbuds themselves are made of the same matte and shiny plastic as the case with rubber “earfins” and tips. The box contains S/M/L earfins as well as S/M/L eartips of different color combinations (grey/red or black). You also get a USB-C charging cable, user manual and thank you card inside the box.

Setup and Usage

The Flybuds 3 earbuds borrowed from the Apple playbook when it comes to ease of connecting. Open the case, and they are placed in bluetooth pairing mode. Open bluetooth settings on your device and connect to “FlyBuds 3.”

The earbuds ship with a small sticker covering the charging contacts which need to be removed. Tweezers may be necessary if you lack fingernails. After removing those stickers, I found the magnets holding the earbuds in place were stronger and therefore, I couldn’t grasp the earbuds out of the case as easily. I’ve discovered that it’s easier to hold the case in both hands and use my thumbs to push in towards the center to dislodge the earbuds.

Placing the earbuds in my respective ears was easy, comfortable and provided great noise isolation with the installed earfins and tips. There’s a voice prompt that indicates the earbuds are “connected,” but unless you’re fast; you’re going to miss it.

Users can control music and phone calls by touching/tapping either left or right earbuds as follows:

Double Tap – Play/Pause music
Double Tap – Answer/end phone call
Triple Tap – Next Track
Press and hold for 2s – Reject incoming call
Press and hold for 2s – Activate voice assistant

My only complaint with touch controls is that I would’ve preferred to have the option to use left or right earbuds to skip or play the previous track. Or the ability to play previous track, period.

Performance

Dave Matthews Band “Say Goodbye” is a great track to kick off the audio review as the intro features a flute solo against the backdrop of kick drum, tom-toms and cymbals. I was impressed, the bass notes were not overly pronounced and crisp while the treble notes remained in the foreground of the audio soundstage. Midrange is also balanced as Dave Matthews’ vocals begin. So far so good.

Time to test bass response. Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” can push some of the “name brand” earbuds, headphones and even home audio systems to distortion. Not the case at all with the FlyBuds 3. The bass interlude at the 2:31 mark didn’t come off strained or distorted. Not bad for a $40 set of earbuds.

I tested across genres and artists including The Head and The Heart, Santigold, DIIV, Darius Rucker, etc. and I wasn’t disappointed at all. At a little less than ½ volume, I couldn’t hear my children asking me questions from only a few feet away.

After roughly an hour of playtime, the FlyBuds 3 still showed approximately 70% battery life remaining; which leads me to believe their stated playtime of five hours would be accurate. The case can supply 20 charges for a whopping 100 hours of playtime. More than enough for a weekend getaway or the Barkley Marathon with extra juice to spare.

Bluetooth range is stated at 33ft. I walked from one side of my house to the opposite side with no dropout or hiccups. That said, when adjusting volume from my Apple watch there was a delay when I was away from my phone.

Call Quality

I only briefly tested the call feature of the FlyBuds 3. The audio was clear on both ends of the phone conversation but I personally don’t like using noise isolating earbuds to make phone calls due to the closedness of hearing my voice in my ears. Definitely passable in a pinch, but I wouldn’t use these for all-day conference calls.

Final Thoughts

The Tribit FlyBuds 3 earbuds are truly impressive at their ~$40 price point. They sound great, they’re comfortable, and unobtrusive. I even wore them to sleep and didn’t wake up with sore ear canals. I did lose the left earbud at some point during the night but the right side stayed put without any discomfort in the morning. Even side sleepers can enjoy these while drifting off to sleep!

With five hours of estimated play time and IPX7 waterproofing, these would be the perfect companion for marathoners. Although, I would hesitate to use these except on closed courses due to the effectiveness of the noise isolation.

Unless you are tech-fashion conscious and wouldn’t be caught dead in public with anything less than those white earbuds; I highly recommend the Tribit FlyBuds 3. Besides their excellent sound and design, they are backed by a 30-day money back guarantee as well as 18-month replacement warranty.

How to fix iPhone boot loop or frozen Apple logo issues

Promoted News

Guest Blogger

-

August 18, 2020

0

EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

Apple users are quite aware of the updates that need to be done often. During these updates Apple users come across a common problem. There is nothing worse than getting your iPhone stuck in the ‘boot loop’. Boot loop is a phenomenon where the phone gets stuck in the restart. Basically the iPhone won’t turn on stuck on Apple logo. This becomes a frustrating moment as you can’t get past it.

There are many reasons due to which the iPhone gets stuck in the boot loop. If you have your iPhone facing the same problem, you are at the right place. As we have a list of methods that can fix your iPhone right at your home. You don’t need to visit the Apple store. Before doing that, you need to analyze the reason and then act accordingly.

Reasons responsible for the iPhone’s boot loop or stuck on Apple logo

If there is any kind of malfunction in hardware such as battery and wifi adaptor this can be responsible for the iPhone stuck in boot loop or stuck on Apple logo.
During the transfer from PC to the iPhone, softwares in the computer can interfere during the iOS update. This happens because the iPhone is an external device for the computer.
When the update is done using iTunes, during the process of reboot, the computer thinks it has just unplugged and plugged it in back. Hence, the antivirus software starts scanning and interrupts the data transfer. Due to which iTunes aborts the update and the phone remains half updated. And the iPhone goes onto the recovery mode and later gets stuck on Apple logo.

These things can be taken care of, without visiting any technician just by using few basic Microsoft skills. Here are three methods you can follow:

Hard reset

This will help clear all the third party applications, passwords, accounts and restore the iPhone’s setting to initial configuration. This can sometimes fix the iOS system.

DFU Mode: (Device firmware update)

This mode is the deepest type of phone restore. This method doesn’t use the iTunes for installing the latest version of iOS. It allows to choose and change the firmware you want to install in your iPhone. It can help in the situation of the iPhone stuck in the black screen.

Wondershare Dr. Fone software

Wondershare Technology has created another masterpiece, that is Dr. Fone software. The software is known for bringing your iPhone back to life if it got stuck on the boot loop. This is a multi-tasking platform where you can perform various tasks such as data recovery, updating the iPhone, data transfer, unlock device, iOS system repair, iPhone error 14, iPhone stuck in boot loop, iPhone stuck on restore screen, iPhone stuck on Apple logo etc.

Dr. Fone software has over 50 million users all over the world and this is because it is user-friendly and has all that other software existing on the internet doesn’t.
The above two mentioned methods do not guarantee the data recovery but Dr. Fone can keep your data safe. It makes your iPhone usable with just a few clicks.
Unlike the Hard reset and DFU mode method, Dr. Fone makes the iOS system repair is safe and less time-consuming. It is secured by McAfee.
Dr. Fone consists of various modes one of which is Repair modes. This includes functions like Stuck in DFU mode, Stuck in recovery mode, White screen of death, iPhone black screen, iPhone boot loop, etc.
Supports all versions of the iPhone, iPad, iPod.
A toolkit of Dr. Fone consists of a Data recovery system, system repair, Phone manager, iTunes repair, etc.
Allows downgrading iOS without iTunes and there is no loss of data.
Privacy is taken care of through both data encryption and advanced fraud protection.

If the software provides so many facilities anyone can fix their iPhone problem at home itself. You only have to download the software from the official website and install it on your PC. Make sure you don’t download the software other than the website or else you can face the issue of malware. They have both free and paid versions. The free one has few limitations but the paid one is free to explore any tool. There is a policy of 7 days’ money-back guarantee available. Few functions such as Recover, Backup and restore, and Transfer can be purchased separately if you don’t need the other functions.

To guide you through the tools, there are videos available for each tool. So that you won’t be blank when using any of the tools. If you have any query you can contact them through live chat and emails. This is the exact kind of software you need if your iPhone gets stuck in boot loop or stuck on Apple logo.

EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

How to migrate your data to an LG phone

Tips & Tools

Rizwan Anwer

-

August 17, 2020

0

With smartphones becoming increasingly more affordable, buying one can be a semi-regular occurrence. However, moving data between your old phone and the new one can be cumbersome.

Many people will opt to transfer the data to a computer and then to the new phone. Historically, that was what one had to do. Or, users would back up what they could to a microSD card. Today, smartphone manufacturers have dedicated apps that make this process easy, efficient, and seamless.

This guide will teach you how to move all your personal data (SMS, calls, apps, photos, etc.) from your old phone to a LG branded phone. With this, you won’t have to worry about copying data on a computer or removable storage.

LG is one of the oldest names in the smartphone game, and its phones have proven to stand the test of time. LG is better known for making some great looking phones that deliver great specs.

If you’ve recently bought yourself an LG phone, find out how you can transfer your data from your old phone to your new LG phone in only a few minutes!

Pre-Requisites

Download and install the LG Mobile Switch App to your old phone and new LG Phone. Make sure both phones have at least 80% charge and both are lying on a flat surface, as this is a wireless transfer and can take as long as an hour to transfer a vast amount of data.

Let’s Get Started

Once you have installed both apps on each phone, run the app on each phone. First pick up your new LG Phone and choose the wireless option.

Next, you will select the receive prompt on screen.

You will be prompted to install the LG Mobile Switch app to your old phone, as we have already done that, launch the app from the phone and choose Wireless.

You will see a screen that will tell you to switch back to your new LG device, tap Start at the bottom right before you do so.

Wait for the old phone to find the new phone, and you will see your LG device show in the search as shown below, tap on it to proceed.

Switch back to your old phone and select the content which you wish to transfer to your new phone. Once you have done so, tap on the Next button at the bottom right.

The transfer process will now commence. If you have a sizeable amount of data, this process can take up to an hour, and sometimes even longer.

It is highly recommended you don’t use either phone during this process and you wait patiently for the process to finish to avoid data loss.

Once the transfer is complete, you will see a notification on both phones.

Other Helpful Guides

Verizon shakes up 5G Mix & Match plans

News

AndroidGuys

-

August 17, 2020

0

Verizon on Monday announced it is adjusting its unlimited plans to provide more value at the same price points. The new options take effect starting August 20.

The revised rate plans will see select Mix & Match plans bundling Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ at no additional cost. Previously, these plans only offered Apple Music and a year of Disney+ streaming service.

As part of the shakeup Verizon has clarified that all of its unlimited plans will include access to the carrier’s nationwide 5G network once it goes live. It currently provides 5G Ultra Wideband in select cities across the country which is much faster. The trade-off here being that coverage isn’t as pervasive.

Subscribers who wish to access the faster network can still do so, but it will require a higher plan. Verizon terms this “Premium Network Access” and it’s available on those plans which cost $45 or higher.

While it might be a little redundant or even strange to have five different “unlimited” rate plans, each of them is a little different. Features that differ from one to the next include mobile hotspot amounts, cloud storage, and network speeds. If 5G doesn’t matter to you or your family members there are lower priced options.

One notable change in the Just Kids plan is that it now includes unlimited 4G data as opposed to an allotment of 5GB. Speed is limited to 5Mbps, which is enough to stream video.

Opinion: It’s time to reconsider face unlock on the Pixel line

Opinion

Andrew Allen

-

August 17, 2020

0

It’s time to talk. I think it may be time for us users and smartphone manufacturers to consider moving forward without face unlock as a primary biometrics option. I know that it’s cool to unlock your phone with just a look, but in practice, it’s not ideal.

I was already hesitant with alternative methods to the tactile options of optical sensors, but after spending nearly a year with the Pixel 4 XL, I am over facial recognition. Add that to the current pandemic and masked faces and I’m convinced it’s time to maybe take a step back.

Could it just be me?

Let’s start with the just general use of the Pixel 4 XL with face unlock as the primary biometrics. Over the last nine months of ownership, I swear the overall performance has worsened. I have more and more daily instances of it just not working on the first or even second attempt.

This is not an abused device. It’s not suffered a significant drop and has lived in a case while in my pocket. I honestly think it’s just from debris and oil build up on the screen.

Yes, this happens on capacitive fingerprint readers at times too. Yes, I can clean it. However, after using years of fingerprint unlock, I’ve never gotten consistent failed attempts like this.

Masked Life Complicated Things

Then the world had a global health crisis that currently requires many of us to wear a mask over half our faces. I don’t want to be insensitive to the significant health threat of COVID-19 by any means, I’m just trying to add a real-world effect it’s had on our daily technology.

This makes using things like mobile pay at checkout lines damn near impossible. You have to remove your mask amidst the crowd to try to attempt. The timing couldn’t be worse. In a moment when contactless payments should be shining as an alternative to touching a kiosk, you find yourself passing it over.

Payments Were Already Awkward

Current masked society aside, mobile payments with face unlock was already a mess. One, Google seems to have you confirm the payment scan with biometrics. This leads to you having to essentially unlock the phone twice. Once to open the menu, and another to confirm the NFC transaction.

The first one you’ll have to do regardless, but the confirmation of the wireless transfer is the major fail. The motion forces you to keep your phone at eye level which is pretty awkward in most retail settings. The card terminal is rarely this high at any storefront.

This leaves you with a likely scenario of having to awkwardly hunch over a checkout counter. After two or three tries at this, you’ll most likely just never use it as I have. Know what would make this much easier? A fingerprint scanner.

Solutions are Available

The radar powered unlock mechanisms in my Pixel 4 XL simply solve a problem no one had. I appreciate a good proof of concept. In an age of bigger and better-designed displays for our consumption, it actually seems counterproductive with creating a giant notch.

There are a few different hardware layouts that allow for phone makers to still offer biometrics outside of face unlock. You have the “traditional” rear fingerprint sensor. It’s tried and true with great consistency. This option can also add functionality like bring down the notification shade with swiping on the reader.

The less traditional capacitive scanner is the side-mounted edition. A few manufacturers like Moto and Sony have embraced this model on several phones. The placement is a little more uncomfortable to position correctly at times but is also a solid alternative to other measures.

Lastly, you have the more recent optical readers built under the display on smartphones. Phones like OnePlus and Moto have moved to this on many of the flagships being sold by those companies. This brings the reader to the most forward view of the user. Literally. It’s directly on the screen.

The drawbacks have been consistency and screen protectors. By default, this optical tech is less mature and still has room to grow to get the performance seen by the older capacitive hardware sensors. Another issue is that you can’t just use any screen protector and still have the reader work correctly.

Maybe We Already Had it Right

Despite some of these pitfalls, the alternative options of biometrics seem like a better overall solution over the beta feel of face unlock. These sensors are more mature, reliable, and readily available in the market. You also don’t have to find real estate on the front of the device to the detriment of less display.

And I haven’t even mentioned that many apps have never updated to even use face unlock. Two out of my four banking institutions still rely on either fingerprint or PIN and you’ll never get prompted to use face unlock.

While there is a multitude of reasons leading to my disdain of face unlock, and many are outside of Google’s control, I do think it’s not dismissable information. The industry should be open to trying new things, but also recognize when something doesn’t work and give users a more solid solution.

That time is now. Maybe you keep some of the 2D face unlock standards as a buy-in option from users, but the default should return to a more complete offering in fingerprint sensors.

The glass half full news is that we are hearing rumblings that Google may do this with the release of the Google Pixel 5. I know you can’t see them, but my fingers are crossed.

Productivity apps for Android: which are the best options?

Promoted News

AndroidGuys

-

August 17, 2020

0

EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

Have you ever got an awesome idea and wrote it somewhere, but failed to explain visually to team members or investors?

Or an ongoing project gone in the wrong direction because of a lack of communication?

In both scenarios common things are communication. According to 59% of U.S workers, the major obstacle in success of a project is proper communication.

For Handling multiple projects you need more than only communication because you need to delegate tasks and collaborate with the entire team.

Today smartphones exist and almost every person is using it because we all want to be more productive. They work like a mini super computer in our pocket. They allow us to connect with the internet and let us do work.

Because mobile phones we always keep in our pocket, it makes them the best product to help us to become more productive. You can install multiple applications from ton’s of productivity apps.

That’s why today we are going to discuss the best productivity apps, an android app that you can use to organize and share your ideas and thoughts with your team, client or Investors.

Top 5 Productivity apps

MindMaster

MindMaster is the best app which works on cross-platform for mind mapping by Edrawsoft. You can use MindMaster on multiple platforms like PC, laptop, tablet, mobile and web.

MindMaster allows you to present your idea accurately with its feature to add hyperlinks, relationships, summaries, notes, callouts, notes and many more.

System supported: Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Web

Key Features

Brainstorm Ideas: Brainstorming mode allows you to conduct group brainstorming sessions efficiently. In the left panel, simply write the ideas with different colors and drag them on the right side panel to create a mind map.
Manage Tasks: To manage and monitor the whole process, the MindMaster gives you a powerful task panel.
Present Work: To present your wonderful idea you can switch to the presentation mode and turn your mind maps into a presentable slide show.
Take Notes: It’s a brilliant tool for taking notes and helps you to capture and organize every idea so nothing slips from your hand.
Pricing: MindMaster is available in both Free and Paid versions. Free versions have some limited features as compared to paid which you can find here.

Download: MindMaster Desktop | MindMaster Online | Apple | Android

Trello

Trello is an easy to use drag and drop tool. You can manage your task board on both devices either it is web apps or mobile apps. Trello is very helpful in both personal and professional ways, especially when you want to plan something big with family or team members. The idea behind it is to help users to stay organized at home and at work. A pretty darn task manager makes it easy to use. You can create boards for each project, which make it organized and separate boards allow you to work on one task at a time.

System supported: Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Web

Key Features

Trello has a range of templates for different projects, from business to education which can enhance your personal productivity.
On trello you can attach media like images to your card on any board.
You can customise workflow stages to see the actual process.
To move your cards through workflow stages you can simply drag and drop them.
Pricing:Trello is free to create unlimited personal boards, cards and list and upto 10 team boards. The paid plan starts from $9.99/user per month.

Download: Apple | Android

Todoist

To create a powerful, interactive to-do list, Todoist is simple but still a powerful tool. Todoist allows you to assign priority levels to to-do items and can be assigned to people in your team and flagged with – custom reminders(only in premium subscription). The actionable feature can be categorised into various projects, which make a simple, easily understandable structure where every list has title and series of actions. All this feature makes this tool highly flexible, customisable to do your work.

System supported: Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Web

Key Features:

To guide and inspire this tool have lots of templates.
It allows recurring due dates for recurring tasks.
It has productivity visualisation and “karma” points for tasks and streaks.
To keep organized it has labels, discussion feed and notifications.
Pricing: Todoist is free with an option to premium upgrade for 3$/user per month which add some extra features.

Download: Apple | Google Play

Evernote

Evernote has the tagline “Meet your second brain” which not only shows what they can do but also reflects what they want to be. Evernote is one of the most powerful note taking apps. We can add audio, text pictures and various other types of notes which can be organized and sync across different devices.

The web clipper tool which you can use to capture the ideas, thoughts, arguments and memorable links from the internet.

System supported: Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Web

Key Features

Web clipping
You can save important web pages
Store geolocation
Take photo, audio and video notes
It have Evernote food to collect for moments
It has a skitch and penultimate.
Pricing: Evernote has a free plan, Basic Plan($7.99/month) and Premium Plan($14.99/month).

Download: Apple | Google Play

Forest

Forest is not like the above four apps it’s a different kind of productivity app. Sometimes you need to get off the phone and it is the number one time-tracking app in the app store, and its main goal is to keep you off the phone.

It counts the time you spend on your phone and gives a report, but only time tracking is boring so forest adds something interesting. It gives you a reason to not use your phone. Forest grows a tree which dies if you use your phone. It’s a kind of game in which you can collect various trees as you progress.

System supported: Android, iOS

Key Features

Help you to track time spent on mobile
Give reason to stay away from phone
Give you feeling of a game
Reward you as you grow
Pricing: Free but have in-app purchase

Download: Apple | Google Play

EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

How to migrate your data to a Vivo phone

Tips & Tools

Rizwan Anwer

-

August 14, 2020

0

With smartphones becoming increasingly more affordable, buying one can be a semi-regular occurrence. However, moving data between your old phone and the new one can be cumbersome.

Many people will opt to transfer the data to a computer and then to the new phone. Historically, that was what one had to do. Or, users would back up what they could to a microSD card. Today, smartphone manufacturers have dedicated apps that make this process easy, efficient, and seamless.

This guide will teach you how to move all your personal data (SMS, calls, apps, photos, etc.) from your old phone to a Vivo branded phone. With this, you won’t have to worry about copying data on a computer or removable storage.

Vivo phones are becoming increasingly popular in the Western market. You might have bought your first Vivo phone and are excited to try it out, but not before you carry over your precious data to your new phone first!

Just like Huawei and Xiaomi, the Vivo product line has many products under it – the V, Y, S, P, and X series of phones. All of these are united by the Funtouch OS. As long as your Vivo phone is on the proprietary OS, you should be able to seamlessly use the transfer app.